ATHENS – Ohio opened up a big halftime lead and coasted toa 76-59 victory against Chicago State to cap nonconference play Friday night at The Convo.

AJ Brown and AJ Clayton scored 13 points each, and Dwight Wilson had 12 points in a balanced effort for Ohio, which led 42-23 at halftime. The Bobcats (8-5) led by nearly 30 points at 74-45 with 3:46 remaining.

The game was tied at 6 early before Ohio took over, outscoring Chicago State 23-5 over the next eight minutes.

Miles Brown scored nine points, with Jaylin Hunter and Gabe Wiznitzer adding seven points each.

Wesley Cardet led the Cougars (3-14) with 13 points, but it came on 2-of-16 shooting. Elijah Weaver had 12 points, while Jahsean Corbett was just shy of a double-double with nine points and 14 rebounds.

Chicago State shot just 33.3% for the game, including 26.7% in the first half, and made only 4 of 27 3-pointers with 17 turnovers. Ohio shot a solid 42.4% and did a good job of getting to the foul line, going 19 of 25. It had just eight turnovers.

The Bobcats begin MAC play on the road at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Buffalo.